Kramer wrote The Normal Heart to shine a light on the pure apathy around the globe for the gay cause, especially in reference to the treacherous AIDs epidemic. Originally released in 1985, before Reagan had made his empty promises of funding for the plague, Kramer was condemning the silence on the issue from leaders. It does not pull any punches and makes it as clear as possible how apathetic and incompetent leaders are to the cause and call to action, and it does not make light of what the disease actually did at all. It was real, and the Holocaust parallels portrayed show just how hard it was at the time to be a gay man while the world idly sits by and watches you die.
The HBO adaptation by Ryan Murphy instead chooses to focus on a more hopeful feeling than the dreadful mood in the play by Kramer. This, I believe, is mainly because of the more widespread acceptance of the gay community in America and across the world during the time that this feature was filmed. This is easily portrayed vividly in the dancing scene at the fundraiser and Yale's "Gay Week". They talk of what that kind of love would have done for them when they were younger. It helps that he does not need to be cynical with this adaptation of the script. Instead, he is educating society, both gay and straight, on what the people of the older generations had to give up and pay to be acknowledged by their fellow people. It does a fantastic job on portraying real life gay relationships, both as friends and as couples. Even today, many of the gay relationships we seen portrayed in the media are very stereotypes, and watching this movie is a breath of fresh air. I think I prefer the HBO version for its uplifting, educating nature. I understand why Kramer had to write his version more dark, but I am not a product of that time. That version just does not resonate with me that way. I still see gay hate today, but the majority of America and the world does not care what orientation you are today. People should read and see both because they both bring their unique touch and perspective to the issue, but for my purposes, I prefer the HBO version.
The HBO adaptation by Ryan Murphy instead chooses to focus on a more hopeful feeling than the dreadful mood in the play by Kramer. This, I believe, is mainly because of the more widespread acceptance of the gay community in America and across the world during the time that this feature was filmed. This is easily portrayed vividly in the dancing scene at the fundraiser and Yale's "Gay Week". They talk of what that kind of love would have done for them when they were younger. It helps that he does not need to be cynical with this adaptation of the script. Instead, he is educating society, both gay and straight, on what the people of the older generations had to give up and pay to be acknowledged by their fellow people. It does a fantastic job on portraying real life gay relationships, both as friends and as couples. Even today, many of the gay relationships we seen portrayed in the media are very stereotypes, and watching this movie is a breath of fresh air. I think I prefer the HBO version for its uplifting, educating nature. I understand why Kramer had to write his version more dark, but I am not a product of that time. That version just does not resonate with me that way. I still see gay hate today, but the majority of America and the world does not care what orientation you are today. People should read and see both because they both bring their unique touch and perspective to the issue, but for my purposes, I prefer the HBO version.